UFC 155's Myles Jury: Holiday sacrifices will be worth it with win over Johnson

UFC 155's Myles Jury: Holiday sacrifices will be worth it with win over Johnson

Nothing says sacrifice for a fighter until fight week and the holidays fall at the same time.

Myles Jury is finding that out the hard way this week.

“Christmas Eve, Christmas … I can’t eat too much at family get-togethers, I can’t have any beer,” Jury told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “But I don’t want to be a ‘Debbie Downer,’ so I just keep to myself, me and a couple friends, and pretty much just hang out until fight night.”

Jury (10-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fights Michael Johnson (12-6 MMA, 4-2 UFC) on Saturday at UFC 155, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The lightweights’ fight will open up the FX-televised portion of the preliminary card.

Jury may have the hard part over now that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have passed. He’s made himself a promise to make up for lost time after Saturday, and he’s counting on it being a celebration beyond just delayed stocking stuffers.

“I’ve got family back in Michigan and once I get back there I’ll be having a little bit of a Christmas,” he said. “It’s a sacrifice right now. But once I go out there and compete and get the victory, it’s worth it.”

Jury was a contestant on Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” But a knee injury knocked him out early. He got a shot at redemption on “The Ultimate Fighter Live” this past spring and made it onto the show. He lost to Al Iaquinta once in the house, but he still got a shot at the live finale, and he made Chris Saunders his 10th straight first-round stoppage victim.

Johnson will be trying to go 4-0 in the UFC in 2012 – which would put him in rare company. He’s also by far the biggest name Jury will have faced in his career.

But the thought of playing spoiler to Johnson’s unbeaten year doesn’t matter to him, he said. He’s minding his own business, not worrying about what a win does to someone else’s.

“I’m not too worried about how it feels to do that to a guy,” he said. “I’m just worried about how it feels for myself to get my second win inside the UFC. Wins are hard to get in the UFC, and whether I’m fighting Michael Johnson or Joe Schmo who is just in the UFC, it’s all going to be the same once I get the victory.”

The major uptick in opponent quality for Jury means he has taken his training up a notch at Alliance MMA in San Diego. He brought in lefties for the camp, including UFC fighter Lance Benoist, to help him prepare for Johnson.

But he knows the increased level of competition is only beginning – especially if he walks away with a win on Saturday.

“I was definitely excited for the opportunity,” Jury said. “I’m in this sport for fights like this and to keep working my way to the top. And at the same time, a lightbulb went off in my head (when I got the fight), like, ‘OK. We’re going to start getting more serious now and really take this seriously.’ Not that I didn’t take opponents seriously, but this one gets me up in the morning and makes me push myself.”

Jury has 10 first-round stoppages on his official resume, but he said being on “TUF Live” helped him get acclimated for answering the bell in the second round if he needs to on Saturday. Or the third.

In some ways, he believes going three rounds would be better than another first-round finish.

“I’d love to finish in the first or second, but fighting three rounds in the books and getting a decision is better for me, too, because I get more ring savvy and experience like that. It’s a win-win situation either way.”

Still, maybe because it’s Christmastime, he’s compelled to be honest.

How would he really like to beat Johnson on Saturday?

“First-round KO,” he said. “But none of that even matters. All that matters to me is just competing and if the bonuses come, they come. I’m just looking forward to that victory. That’s the biggest thing.”

ALBANY, N.Y. – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., which kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET (2:45 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here.

ALBANY, N.Y. – The way Gian Villante and Saparbek Safarov went at each other, it was clear neither man was interested in a tactical chess match. Instead, what they wanted was a brawl, and that’s exactly what they got, as Villante (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) battered (…)

ALBANY, N.Y. – After missing weight for her second UFC bout, Justine Kish came out trying to bully octagon newcomer Ashley Yoder. At several points, it got Kish (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in trouble. But her relentless standup attack eventually won the day, with judges (…)